This is a three decade old book that began my writing career

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Opting for Wealth: Overcoming Obstacles ( Part 4)

Overcoming Obstacles

Thomas A. Edison attended a Michigan public school as I did, but he apparently rejected his programming outwardly. Ultimately he was expelled from the fourth grade. Teachers described him as “lazy and dull.”

Later in life he was told that his ideas were preposterous and ridiculous. If he had listened to those around him it is very likely that we would not have such modern conveniences as the light bulb, the phonograph or movies.

He not only invented these items, he demonstrated to the world that his ideas were of huge commercial importance. He formed a movie company to produce films. Other companies used his invention illegally, infringing upon his patents, which were essentially useless because of the great importance of his inventions. If the wheel hadn't been discovered by the time Edison was born, he probably would have invented it and tried to patent it.

"Fulton is Folly?"

According to critics, Fulton's steamboat was a “folly,” Galileo's solar system was in error and the Wright brothers would never fly. With all this negative thought floating around it's a miracle we are not in the Neanderthal stage of human development.

Men of greatness share one essential trait. They do not listen to others. Similarly, you must tune out those around you who are negative. If possible, find at least one other person who shares your dreams. Make this person, and others, a part of your organization. Form a success team and ignore everyone who says, “It can't be done.”

Others will try to make you feel guilty for obtaining wealth. They may say you are greedy and grasping or neglecting your family. They'll attempt to convince you that obtaining wealth is evil and that you will burn in hell for eternity.

The Guilt Trip?

Some will say other values such as love and charity are more important and that your course of action is misguided and materialistic. Recognize such statements for what they really are: rationalizations and misconceptions for explaining failures. Small-minded individuals, who may not like to admit that you are a winner who can make things happen, are reminded of their own shortcomings every time you are a success.

These misguided people will be very happy to see you join their ranks. They may eventually hate you because your success reduces their ranks and makes you more important.

You should not feel guilty about gaining wealth. Quite the contrary, you should be immensely proud that you are a “giver” to this planet who understands that creating wealth is a byproduct of providing goods and services. Your fellow men reward your helpfulness by allowing you profits, and profits are inherently earned through conservation.

Other than becoming directly involved in environmental concerns, earning profits and wealth is the only other course of action for an individual who is concerned with the well-being of the cosmos.

Fear, doubt and worry are your enemies and must be eliminated from your mind. This is best accomplished by good planning. If you set reasonable goals and attain some success each day, you'll soon erase fear, doubt and worry from your mind.

If you can't achieve goals regularly, it is very likely that you are attempting to accomplish too much and must make your goals easier to achieve.

Forget "All or Nothing!"

Do not make your goals “all or nothing” propositions. Most often the result is “nothing,” which serves to reinforce self-pity and failure. When friends owe me money and repay some of it each time I see them, I know that I will eventually get it all back.

Some friends say, “I'll pay it all back at one time! “ This is an indication that I will never see a penny. Goals are best achieved by taking small steps every day rather than taking larger steps and often failing.

Bad breaks happen to us all. When this happens to you, accept it as a temporary setback and move forward to a brighter day.

I could easily write a volume of encyclopedias about the unfairness of our government system and its tax laws, but what's the point? It probably would not change anything.

Unfairness can be seen daily almost everywhere. Do not allow the negative side of life to wear you down, but instead approach these issues realistically. We are all dealt an occasional bad card, but instead of dwelling on it, look forward to the turn of the next card as an opportunity for a big triumph.

Make Success a Habit .

Successful authors, like Glenn Bland and others, recommend that a person spend a half hour a day improving his mind. Reading great literature and success-oriented books and listening to tape recordings are good ways to do this. When your mind is filled with the thoughts of great men, your mind will strengthen.

A salesman friend of mine said one day that he had very little problem approaching smaller companies for sales but felt deeply lacking in his vocabulary when approaching the presidents of larger companies.

I asked him if he would feel in a better position to approach these companies if he could associate daily with great scientists, peacemakers, kings and presidents.

He said these people would be lucky to be in his presence, not vice versa, but he wanted to know how this could be possible.

I told him to read great books to fill his mind daily with the thoughts of great minds. I advised him to read aloud during some of his study time so his voice would be accustomed to speaking these thoughts.

Whenever he came across a world that he was not familiar with, I told him to use a dictionary and learn its meaning.

“Use these new words often,” I advised. “Soon you will increase your vocabulary and feel comfortable in a discussion with any educated person.”

A year later this gentleman was one of the top salespersons in his field and had increased his sales many times.

It's a good idea to offer rewards for you as various stages of a goal are accomplished. As I finished each chapter of “Born to be Rich,” for example, I rewarded myself with a day of rest. My wife will go on a shopping binge immediately after a busy season of successful sales activity in her store.

Be sure your rewards aren't destructive of your goals, like the dieter who rewards himself with pizza and ice cream whenever a certain weight objective is accomplished.

Persistence is a trait that every “Born To Be Rich” person must possess. A steady stream of water slowly and imperceptibly will erode the hardest rock.

Working daily toward any goal will almost always result in attainment of that goal. Long- range goals require the most persistence since little reward is offered along the way.

Attending college and receiving a degree is probably one of the most difficult long-range goals for any person in his lifetime. Great stress is placed upon the student, who faces many difficult examinations and obstacles. No financial rewards are offered during college years and sacrifices are so great that many students live in poverty. Yet thousands of persons are able to accomplish this goal every year.

Acquiring wealth with a five or six year plan is easier than attending college because financial rewards can be offered while the goal is in progress. The only real sacrifice in attaining wealth is that personal purchases must be delayed for the sake of the business or savings.

Habit patterns can lead to your destruction or success, depending upon your use of them. For a dieter attempting to lose weight, a new eating and exercise pattern is essential.

Persistence with the new pattern, eating fewer calories each day and exercising more -- will ultimately lead to the weight loss goal. The pattern of overindulgence led to the problem.

In a similar manner, wealth is acquired by savings a little each day rather than overspending. Great wealth is won by attainment of this daily habit.

Singleness of Purpose

We have been in the age of specialization for many years, and you need to be an expert in your field to attain great wealth. Many of us start out in life with meager beginnings, and often we barely have enough resources to get one project going.

An associate set up a video recording service, which seemed like a good idea until the project was well underway. He recorded a musical group for one of his first projects and soon became involved with promoting that group.

When this person was called to videotape some real estate, he eventually became involved in real estate deals. Whenever he taped a lecturer presenting a speech, he usually became entangled in that person's affairs. This helter-skelter approach eventually led to bankruptcy.

Don't let his tragic approach to business happen to you. Instead, be certain of the scope of your activities. For the most part, stick with your main objectives. You must envision exactly where your revenues will be generated. If something interesting comes along, like an unexpected treasure barge, you may want to seriously consider capturing it, but not at the expense of your original idea.

Consider yourself fortunate that you have a game plan for capturing your own treasure barge when it eventually floats down the river. Until you are able to obtain this single goal, you will not very likely have success with alternate goals.

Simply because an opportunity exists doesn't mean that you must react by attempting to seize it. This can only result in a lot of floundering around from treasure barge to treasure barge without any game plan for bringing one ashore. Eventually your tugboat will run out of fuel and you will find yourself a mile downstream in the great rapids waiting for the rocks to complete your demise.

Once you've survived the beginning stages of a business, you will be aware of opportunities as never before and be tempted to flounder. Be content to watch treasure barges float past you if others are better prepared to claim them.

Envision your business at its various stages of growth. Consider each stage to be a success in its own right. Calculate that your enterprise is doing very well at any particular moment if you consider its smaller assets and time in existence.

Other enterprises around you may seem like giant behemoths in comparison, but they are an example of what you can expect in time.

Some basic guidelines might include: (1) Maintaining one clear distinct goal from the beginning, (2) envisioning clearly each stage of success, and (3) not getting sidetracked.

Have Faith in Yourself

If you act on all things mentioned thus far, you will have a feeling of faith in yourself. When all the ingredients for success are in place, you will feel the power that comes from changing the world around you.

A tiny smidgen of this success will help to produce an unwavering faith that your goals will be achieved. Therefore, it is important that you achieve some degree of success from the very beginning. That tiny success is like a seed that will grow to reproduce a million times over.

This feeling of faith is a magic power that will act as the glue that binds all of the other ingredients together. Utilize the Born to be Rich philosophy which says that your biological instincts for survival are natural and that your activities are inherently good for the world.

Allow these feeling to overcome you, so that your well-being is calling for you to fulfill your destiny. Recognize- that your destiny is determined largely by your own efforts and that you alone can choose the pathway for your survival.

~*~

Read a short story about RJ when he was a DJ. A touching story "A Hundred Bucks." Sometimes it is not all about money.

Nearly 3 decades and still a big seller...

Reynold Jay

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Hi Christopher, Thanks for checking this out on a Saturday morning and moments after posting it too! RJ

Susan Miles 5 years ago

Very insightful article. I like the idea of 'Singleness of Purpose.' Reading this helps me to stay focused on my goals.

Reynold Jay 5 years ago from Saginaw, Michigan Author

Hi Susan,Thanks for the comment and checking in on this.

ConstantineNguyen 5 years ago from California, United States

That's a perspective of a great man....very nice hub, Mr.Jay !! You really inspired me to work harder !!! Thanks !!!

Reynold Jay 5 years ago from Saginaw, Michigan Author

Yes, put these priciples to work for you and you'll become a success on a grand scale. I want you, Constantine, to work hard and do your very best. I can feel your karma from the other side of the globe. RJ

trimar7 5 years ago from New York

Great hubs - I am thankful you stopped by on my hub. I am going to link some of your writing to my hubs. I think your articles will be very helpful to my readers.

Reynold Jay 5 years ago from Saginaw, Michigan Author

And I am overwhelmed with all the HUBs and info you have published. I will see what you have there that will work in links as well. Thanks RJ

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